Careers & Personal Development Courses

The Acorns Careers Lead - Miss Vanessa Booth

Welcome to The Acorns School Careers Information and Guidance page.

Our Careers Lead is Miss Vanessa Booth.

School telephone number: 01695575486

Email: v.booth@westlancspcss.lancs.sch.uk

Vision Statement for careers:

To provide an inclusive, careers strategy which raises student aspirations, unlocks their potential and ensures that they have the individual skills, values and qualifications to make informed choices and be successful in further education, training and employment.

To meet the requirements of the Eight Gatsby Benchmarks:
1. A stable careers programme
2. Learning from career and labour market information
3. Addressing the needs of each student
4. Linking curriculum learning to careers
5. Encounters with employers and employees
6. Experiences of workplaces
7. Encounters with further and higher education
8. Personal guidance

Careers at The Acorns School will engage all our pupils throughout their time at the school as part of their academic and personal development to discover, learn and aspire to a variety of careers and educational pathways that lead learners to establish sustainable and fulfilling careers. The Acorns School is committed to fully implementing the GATSBY benchmarks in order to give our pupils the best chances they can to achieve in the future.

We provide our pupils with multiple learning opportunities to engage with the world of work through encounters with employers, professionals and opportunity providers allowing pupils to discover their strengths and interests whilst developing careers management skills that empower our learners to confidently move towards their career goals.

Every student at The Acorns School is entitled to a thorough, personalised and aspirational programme of careers events and independent careers guidance throughout their time at the school. They are given support to whichever route they choose, at the end of KS4.

Our Careers provision intent:
Learners develop short- and long-term careers goals by having multiple opportunities to encounter the world of work through visits, virtual workplace experiences and in school activities
Learners are taken on a continuous path throughout their education that develops their career and self- awareness as well as essential career management skills enabling pupils to make informed decisions and applications throughout their personal and professional life
Careers promotes and recognises a variety or careers and life choices and will always support pupils to make careers choices that reflect pupils’ individual aspirations and personal situations by delivering person-centred and just in time careers support to everyone at The Acorns School.
The careers program at The Acorns School thrives to involve our local professionals from colleges and Edge Hill University and employers in our community in supporting the delivery of Careers Education and we will always look for opportunities to engage with established and emerging partners to deliver a relevant and responsive careers curriculum.
Careers policies and programmes are updated annually, the next update will be September 2025.